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Thursday, 22 December 2016

We have been wanting to visit Kangaroo Island for some time but the cost of the ferry crossing put it on the back-burner, finally we paid the $671.00 and booked our crossing for the 25th November returning on the 2nd December.

Day 1 (23rd Nov)As we were only travelling 356 Km to Nhill, we went to the 'big M' for out traditional departure day breakfast where we joined by Nadeen and her boys, then it was back home to hook up the van and on the road just after 9AM. Stopped a Warrawee Park, Ararat for a cuppa then a rest area for lunch. When we got to Nhill we discovered that they had special parking spotsin the middle of town for caravans, what a pleasure! We parked and walked around, purchased a few 'goodies' we needed then on to the caravan park which has a reasonable pensioner rate of $24.00 for drive through.

Warrawee Park

Nhill Caravan Park

Day 1 Map and Stats

Day 2 (24th Nov)A leisurely start at about 9 AM after a good brekky as we only had 429Km to our next night stop, we stopped at Keith home of the 'Land Rover on a Pole' for a cuppa.

Memorial to the land scheme funded by Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP), which in 1950, funded the development of vast areas of bushland into farmland, resulting in a large growth period for Keith.

We walked around the town which has many historical buildings, some are still in use such as the first school building. The Church with it's lead light windows inspired by local history is well worth a visit. The water feature was designed by James Darling to celebrate the cycle of water through the Australian Landscape and the region's water irrigation feeding the large grain production as well as the large number of lucerne growers, there is also livestock grazing and a large olive processing plant, The town's slogan is "You're in good country now"

Historical Church

Inside the Church

Cycle of water feature with grain silos in background

After a pleasant stop we proceeded towards Tailem Bend stopping about 5Km from the town for lunch then caught the ferry over the Murray River to Wellington then on to Cape Jervis. Once again we had a drive through site at a cost of $30.00, easy parking and well grassed, then it was time to relax with a cold glass of the good stuff and watch the sunset.

Murray Bridge Ferry (Tailem Bend)

Cape Jervis Caravan Park

Sunset at Cape Jervis

Day 2 Map and Stats

Day 3 (25th Nov)

Up early and down to the dock by 8 AM to collect our boarding passes then start loading about 8:30 for a 9 AM departure, reverse onto ferry. The crossing took about 50 minuets.

We landed at Penneshaw and drove the 62 Km to Kings Cote, which is the largest town on the Island to stock up with veggies etc., we walked around the town doing some window shopping and had a delicious hamburger at Rogers Deli & Cafe for lunch, it was then on to Western KI Caravan Park which was to be our base.

Road to Caravan Park

We set up camp and while sitting relaxing looked up to see a Koala in the tree on our site, he stayed in the area for three days.

Our camp Koala circled

Close up of the Koala

Day 3 Map and Stats

Day 4 (26th Nov)

Once again a leisurely start, first stop was the Flinders Chase National Park information centre to purchase a KI Tour Pass, it is good value (they have a concession rate) and give you 12 months access to the Flinders Chase National Park as well as admission to the following Kangaroo Island tours:

First stop was the Remarkable Rock formation, The wooden boardwalk makes easy access to these unusual granite boulders, we spent some time wondering around and soaking up the spectacular view.

Remarkable Rocks from the lookout

"stoned"

Cape du Couedice Lighthouse

Construction on the sandstone Cape du Couedice Light House was started in 1907 and completed in 1909 it is visible for up to 27 miles. Before construction could begin a cutting had to be made in the cliff so supplies could be winched up the cliff. Everything that was required came by steamship which visited about every three months, unloaded on the dock, winched up the cliff and stored. The tower used 2,000 pieces of local sandstone.

Cutting in cliff

Cape du Couedice Light House

LOCATION: Latitude 36° 03.5' S, Longitude
136° 41.9' E

OPERATOR: Australian Maritime Safety
Authority

EXHIBITED: 1909

CONSTRUCTION: Local Granite

CHARACTER: Group Flashing 2 in 10 sec

LIGHT SOURCE: 120v 1000w Tungsten Halogen Lamp

POWER SOURCE: Mains Electricity, Diesel Standby

INTENSITY: 38,000 cd

ELEVATION: 103 metres

RANGE: 17 nautical miles

HEIGHT: 25 metres

AUTOMATED: 1957

DEMANNED: 1957

DEACTIVATED: No

CUSTODIAN: Parks SA

HERITAGE: Register of the National
Estate

(information from Lighthouses of Australia Inc)

Admirals Arch

Admirals Arch is a short walk from the lighthouse, then down a wooden boardwalk, it is a designated geological monument, one of many on Kangaroo Island. A New Zealand fur seal colony has made its home here. Summer is their primary breeding season, seal pups can often be seen playing on the rocks below Admirals Arch.

Boardwalk

Seals

Vennechar Point

From here we decided to go to Cape Borda via Vennechar Point (West Bay) only to discover that the road is closed from the point so had to back track and drive up the centre road, however on our way to the point we spotted a Koala and a Rosenberg Heath Goanna

Vennechar Point Road

Koala on Road

Rosenberg Heath Goanna

Loch Vennachar was a three-masted iron sailing ship (clipper) that operated between Great Britain and Australia between the late 19th century and 1905. The name was drawn from Loch Venachar, a lake which lies to the south-west of the burgh of Callander, in the Stirling region of Scotland. It is understood to mean "most beautiful lady" in Scottish Gaelic.[1]

In September 1905, she sank without trace and with all hands, leaving a spray of wreckage scattered along the south coast of Kangaroo Island. In 1976, her extensively damaged remains were discovered in an average depth of 12 metres (40 ft) of water near West Bay, Kangaroo Island in South Australia (SA) by the Society for Underwater Historical Research

From Wikipedia

West Bay

Loch Vennechar AnchorCape Borda Lightstation

The lighthouse is at the top of a cliff overlooking the Investigator Straight, on the North-West corner of the Island. This unusual square lighthouse is quite unique, the maritime museum gives one an insight into life as a keeper and European history. The restored signal cannon is fired at 12:30 PM daily. The lighthouse was built in 1858 and converted to automatic operation in 1989.

Cape Borda Lighthouse

The Cannon

Keepers residence - note the 'local'

It was now time to head back to camp after a most enjoyable day, on the way we stopped to see where the Finds had run aground and sunk in 1860 with the loss of 10 lives

Inside the museum

LOCATION: Latitude
35° 45' 3" S, Longitude 136° 35' 7" E (map)

OPERATOR: Australian
Maritime Safety Authority

EXHIBITED: 1858

CONSTRUCTION: Stone

CHARACTER: Group
Flash 4 Every 20 Seconds

LIGHT
SOURCE: 120v
1000w Tungsten Halogen Lamp

POWER
SOURCE: Mains Electricity

INTENSITY: 170,000
cd

ELEVATION: 155
Metres

RANGE: 21
Nautical Miles

HEIGHT: 10
metres

AUTOMATED: 1989

DEMANNED: 1989

DEACTIVATED: No

CUSTODIAN: Parks SA(information from Lighthouses of Australia Inc)

Day 4 Map and Stats

Day 5 (27th Nov)

Little Sahara

On our way to Little Sahara we stopped a wee general store and petrol station (the last on on this side of the island) then on to the Kelly Hill caves but as they only open at 10 AM we trundled down to Little Sahara. These sand dunes are a system of naturally occurring coastal blow out dunes, normally they are close to the ocean but here they are quite a distance away. The dunes are about 70 meters, Little Sahara was heritage listed in the 1970's. Sandboards and toboggans can be hired from the modern facility at the car park. It looked like good fun but the climb up the dune after each run would have been a bit much, walking up once was enough although it was worth it.Along the way we stopped off at Vivonne Bay which has been voted one of Australia's best beaches, due to its clear water, privacy and cleanliness. The bay is also famous for cray fishing and well worth the visit.

Vivonne Bay

The sign says it all 'To Dunes'

a long climb

Sandboarding

View from the top

Panoramic View

Seal Bay

After a most welcome cuppa it was on to Seal Bay home to the Australian sea lions, the population is between 14,000 and 15,000 so is considered in danger, most live in South Australia and about a 1,000 call Seal bay home. Take the tour and an experienced guide will walk you onto the beach amongst the sea lions. We did the board walk and the lookout.

The Boardwalk

Returning from the boardwalk tour videoed this Rosenberg Heath Goanna near the car park

On our way out we popped into Bales Beach with it's stunning backdrop of cliffs, which is an Aquatic Reserve

Bales Beach

Bales Beach

We headed back to our site at the Western KI Caravan Park which is situated in a 17 hectare Wildlife Reserve, We walked around the Koala 'walk' and spotted three Koalas and many Kangaroo's. When we got back to camp we found our resident Koala leaving his day perch.

Day 5 Map and Stats

Day 6 (28th Nov)We took a trip up to Western River Cove which is on the North side of the Island and is well worth the winding drive through the mountains.

Western River Cove

Not far from here we stopped at Snelling Beach for a cuppa

We continued on to Stokes Bay which is in the middle of the North coast, it is a popular place for holiday cottages.

Stokes Bay

We went on to the small town of Parndana which is approximately in the centre of the island and had lunch then on to the Kelly Hill Caves.

Kelly Hill Caves

A steep 200 meter walk brings one to the cave entrance where you are met by your guide, ours was an avid caver and had a vast knowledge of the caves and their history. After descending the steep stairs one enters the first cavern with magnificent stalagmites, stalactites, straws etc. it was quite something. The caves were discovered when a stock-man was on his way home and took a shortcut through the hills on a horse called Kelly. They fell down a big hole, the stock-man managed to climb out and went for help, when he returned Kelly had disappeared, no trace has ever been found of the horse and to this day it remains a mystery as to what happened to the horse.

The Walk!

Entrance

Back to the caravan park after a most enjoyable day

Day 6 Map and Stats

Day 7 (29th Nov)
We woke up to another beautiful day in paradise. After brekky we set off for Emu Bay, one of the few beaches one can take a vehicle on, along the way we spotted these two fellows on Discovery Lagoon, not sure what they were doing. The lagoon is normally full in winter depending on the rainfall, over a 100 native birds have been recorded on and around the lagoon.

Discovery LagoonEmu Bay

From there it was a short drive to Emu Bay, we drove around and it seems that there are more holiday homes than permanent residents, one can see why as the water is very clear and it has a long beach that has beach access for vehicles. We walked along the fishing jetty which dates to 1918, found two fisherman but thy had nothing for the 'pot' at that time. A fairy penguin colony has mad Emu Bay its home but we did not see any. We drove on the beach and stopped at the water's edge for a most enjoyable cuppa.

We stopped at the Island Pure Sheep Dairy which is near the Cygnet River, on our way to Kingscote, the have some 1,500 sheep which they milk daily from about 2 PM, we had a look around and purchased some cheese - tasted good to me!

Sheep Dairy

Kingscote

From here we proceeded to Kingscote, here is an extract from my better halves FB post:

We then went onto Kingscote which has a huge amount of history it's at this point were Duke of York landed as well as 3 other ships. You will see a jetty that looks washed out is were they docked. There is a memorial to the pioneers there. Looking out to the mainland i thought of my ggg, gg, g grandparents sailing past to dock in Adelaide. Their journey must have been horrific on those sailing ships especially when one reads up on all these voyages to get stock and transport various goods. My heart is deeply touched by their courageous spirit. Hard times it must have been.

Reeves Point Memorial to the first Settlers who landed in 1836

View from the memorial

Reeves Point

It was a short drive or long walk to the flagstaff, the inscription on the plaque reads:This flagstaff celebrates the achievements of the pioneer settlers who from 27th July 1836 lived, worked and created a foundation for our community.

From here we proceeded to The Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, which is about 20 Km from Kingscote. It is the only Eucalyptus distillery in Australia and manufactures 100% pure Eucalyptus Oil which can be purchased in their shop as well as a range of associated products and well worth a visit.

After browsing through the shop and purchasing some gifts we decided to return to camp via Murray lagoon which is the Islands largest freshwater lagoon, however when we arrives we discovered that the road was closed and had to back-track about 10Km, we were able to see the lagoon.

Murray Lagoon

Some of the bird life at Murray Lagoon

Day 7 Map and Stats

Day 8 (30th Nov)We decided to have a slow day, we trundled to Hanson Bay and had a walk on the beach. There is a 18 Km hike which takes one passed the Grassdale Freshwater Lagoon and ends at the Kelly Hill (caves) visitors centre, we gave it a miss.

Hanson Bay

It was then back to the caravan and time to relax, but not for long, after lunch we strolled down the bush walk to the lake. On the edge of the lake we came across an Echidna who just ignored us and continued feeding. there was a large flock of Cape Barron Geese, Black Swans, Ducks and many bird species, a most enjoyable walk.

The Lake

Echidna

Cape Barron Geese

Yacca also known as the Grass Tree

Some grass tree resin was harvested in Western
Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, but most of it
came from South Australia.
Germany was originally the largest market for grass tree
resin, though trade was interrupted by the blockade at the
outbreak of the Great War. In the 1920s and 1930s, grass
tree resin was also sold to the United States, and Britain
and France also purchased modest amounts.
However, as the harvestable grass trees were used up and
the constituents of the resin became more cost-effective to
manufacture synthetically, yacca gumming slowly died out.
Today, only a small industry on Kangaroo Island continues
the practice, harvesting from stock-piled dead stumps. The
powdered resin is used in fireworks and explosives, and in
the formulation of high-quality resin varnish. Grass trees
are now sought out for more decorative purposes – woodturners
use the trunks for their unusual texture and colour,
their foliage is used by florists, and the seeds or entire
intact plants are prized by gardeners. In most states,
harvesting is controlled by law to ensure the survival of
these distinctive Australian plants.The Author
Dr Mark Kellett

Day 9 (1st Dec)
Up early and pack to move to Pednneshaw, where we night stopped, but first to Kingscote for stocks then we detoured to American River where we had a cuppa, on our way out we stopped at the Mutson Lookout, no problem with a caravan.

Turn off to American River

American River entrance

Muston Lookout

Lookout car park

Arriving at Penneshaw

Map to Penneshaw

We walked around town and had fish and chips (delicious) at one of the local eating places. After lunch we decided to visit Cape Willoughby Light Station, as we left town we spotted a pod of Dolphins at Bates Landing.

Pod of Dolphins

Once again on a very good sand road to the oldest light house in South Australia.

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

Light Station

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

Cape Willoughby was the first lighthouse to be erected in South Australia, and lights the Backstairs Passage between Kangaroo Island and the mainland, it was established in 1852, and originally known as the Sturt Light after Captain Charles Sturt, It is constructed from granite and limestone quarried from a cleft in the cliff at the base of the tower.Lighthouses of Australia Inc.

LOCATION: Lat. 35°50.7' S, Long. 138°08.0' E
[map]

OPERATOR: Australian Maritime Safety Authority

EXHIBITED: 1852

CONSTRUCTION: Stone

CHARACTER: Group flashing (3) every 30.0 seconds

LIGHT
SOURCE: 200 Watt Sealed Beam Lamps

POWER
SOURCE: Mains Electricity,
Diesel Standby

INTENSITY: 370,000 CD

ELEVATION: 75 Metres

RANGE: 23 Nautical Miles

HEIGHT: 20.5 Metres

AUTOMATED: 1974

DEACTIVATED: 2003

CUSTODIAN: Parks SA

(information from Lighthouses of Australia Inc)

There have been 70 shipwrecks around Kangaroo Island, the first recorded was in 1847 and the last was in 1996.

It was then back to the caravan for a good nights rest after a most enjoyable day, tomorrow we go back to the mainland.

Day 10 (2nd Dec)
We were in line by about 9 AM collected our boarding passes and loaded the rig at about 10 AM for a 10:30 departure. We arrived at Cape Jervis about 50 minuets later. So sad to see wind turbines spoiling the landscape.

Cape Jervis note the 'Wind Turbines'

We drove for about 25 Km and stopped at the HMAS Hobart Memorial for a cuppa.

Easy parking at the Memorial

The view

Anchor from HMAS Hobart

We then took a leisurely drive crossing the Murray on a ferry to the Mannum Caravan Park which is situated on the river, a great place to water ski, set up camp and relaxed.

Waiting for the Ferry

Home for the next two days

Day 10 Stats

Day 11 (3 Dec)
A rest day, we did some window shopping, went to the lookout, the Mary Ann Reserve home the the oldest Paddle Wheeler and Paddle Steamer and just relaxed at camp. A small crowd had arrived and were boating, skiing and wake boarding, brought back many fond memories of my water-skiing days during the 1960's.

Lookout View East

Lookout view West

Our Caravan

Mary Ann Reserve

Flood high water marks October 1956 was 5.1 Meter

And so ends another great day.

Day 12 (4 Dec)
Being our last day before heading home we decided to take a drive up the Murray to Pallaring Flat, Caurnamont,Swan Reach, Nildottie, Walker Flat and Purnong. Along the way we found a farm gate stall with a honesty box, we purchased some fruit and it was delicious. We stopped at Swan Reach lookout for a cuppa, think we crossed the Murray on ferries about six times.

Swan Reach

Time for a cuppa

Walker Flat

Houseboat Marina

Mobile Home?

Nildottie Park

Crossing the Murray again!

It was back to camp and pack the caravan in preparation for an early start the next day.

Map and days stats

Day 13 (5 Dec)
We had decided to 'run' for home in one day and not the two as planned so up early, brekky, hook the van up and at the ferry by 7:30 AM crossing the Murray for the last time on this trip, we had a pleasant trip stopping along the way for a cuppa and then lunch. We stopped a Boarder Town to have a look at the white kangaroos, sad to see that their enclosure had deteriorated and we could only spot two. We eventually arrived back home at 4:32 PM, good to be home but also rather sad that another great trip had come to an end. Anyone who is thinking of visiting Kangaroo Island just do it you won't be disappointed.